Please Welcome Genie Gabriel author of Legacy of Angels

"I'm not safe
anywhere." Terror beat in Claudia deGras' heart, pulsed through her veins,
shut down any rational thought. Get out
of here!

She bolted toward the door, not
daring to look back as the sound of heavy footsteps followed her.

The old brown sedan sitting in
the driveway always had the keys in the ignition. Most of the time, it started
without much protest.

Claudia flung open the door and
cranked the key. The engine caught and roared as she shoved the accelerator to
the floor. Two doors banged shut as the old Buick slid sideways on the gravel,
then found traction on the pavement.

Out of the corner of her eye, she
saw Patrick O'Shea on the wide bench seat beside her, his hand braced against
the dashboard for balance, but his face reflected his normal serenity.

Could she trust him? Did she have
a choice? And where was she going?

She eased her foot off the
accelerator and settled the old sedan into a speed that wouldn't get them
stopped by the police, though patrols were rare on this sparsely traveled road
in Eastern Oregon.

While she drove the highway in
silence, the childhood memories of curses and shouting and fists landing heavy
blows on her body receded, and her panicked mind calmed down.

No one had harmed her today. In
fact, over the last few weeks the O'Shea siblings, including Patrick, had
rearranged their lives to protect her from the man-beast who stalked her.

Patrick's wisdom and gentleness
had provided a balm to Claudia's soul many times during the time she had been
recovering from her physical wounds at his mother's rambling farmhouse. Today,
she discovered the emotional fears were deeper than she imagined. Facing the
man-beast again--even in her memory--pushed her into a panicked flight.

Now reason was returning and
adrenaline ebbing, and Claudia floundered. Once again, Patrick's reassuring
voice provided an anchor, so she followed his instructions. Down a paved road
for several miles, flanked on either side by acres of rangeland turning dusty
gold in the early summer heat. Then another turn onto a graveled road with no
other traffic. Finally off any road entirely, bumping over the rangeland to
come to a stop under a sheltering copse of trees near a lake.

After Claudia turned off the
engine, Patrick opened the car door. "Come with me."

He walked toward the lake, not
looking back.

Claudia watched him for long
minutes. Was he simply going to leave her?

The land sloped downward where
Patrick now walked, making it seem like he was disappearing. When only the top
of his head was still in view, panic seized Claudia once again.
"Wait!"

She jumped out of the car and
slammed the door behind her, running to catch up with Patrick. She topped the
knoll and stopped, her chest rising and falling rapidly with exertion and
fright.

Patrick stood looking up at her,
the same serene expression on his face. Then he turned and continued walking to
the water's edge. Hidden in the tall reeds was a raft that looked as if it
would sink with the weight of the family of ducks swimming nearby. However,
when Patrick climbed on, the craft barely dipped before stabilizing. He turned
and reached out his hand in invitation. Cautious but curious, Claudia climbed
aboard.

Using a long pole, Patrick pushed
them across the lake and under a rocky outcropping. He secured the raft to a
sawed-off tree stump that served as a pier post for a make-shift dock and
stepped off. "Be careful. It can be slippery."

Intrigued, Claudia once again
took Patrick's hand and climbed off the raft. They walked toward a sheer rock
cliff topped by ruins of what could have been an ancient stone cathedral.
However, as they reached the cliff, Patrick slipped through a notch in one of
the rocks. Once inside, he retrieved a flashlight from a pocket in the rock
wall and turned it on, revealing a narrow corridor. Claudia followed him down a
winding pathway for what seemed like miles. Patrick walked without hesitation, turning
down side tunnels until she felt totally disoriented.

At last he stopped in front of a
solid rock wall. Well, it appeared solid. Until he slid aside what must have
been a doorway, revealing into a cavernous room.

"Where are we?" Claudia
asked.

Patrick
turned with a half-smile. "Safe. That's what you wanted, right?"